I started the Distance Mamas about 4-5 years back in an attempt to provide a means of working out for both stay-at-home moms, working women who needed something bright and early in the day, and any woman looking for the right combination of a challenging workout and camaraderie. I never wanted to take the women who were inclined to go off and run multiple marathons for the sake of completion. The goal was to teach the basics of running form, efficiency, breathing, focus and positive attitude with the shorter events like the 5k and 10k and eventually build up to the 1/2 marathon over a couple of years. I wanted to provide a class that no one else did, and I have. With some refinement over the years, the Distance Mamas has become a group known statewide. While women’s running groups, whether organized or haphazard are fairly common, this particular group really has no parallel. It’s a social group who celebrates birthdays, PRs, personal achievements and positive things in life. It’s a fine group of women who have become a family—a likable family to each other—and gets each person through their trials and difficulties in life with the lasting friendships and bonds which are almost instantly formed whenever someone new joins. We have every type of personality, every level of athleticism and coordination (or lack thereof), but most importantly, we have a unique group that enhances the lives of each and every member in some way each day. Accountability, empathy, shoulder to cry on, Distance Mamas Craigslist, Distance Mamas Realty. Through the wonderful app GroupMe, we have become an even closer-knit group and no one has to worry about missing group messages on their non-iphone phones anymore. We share pictures of our destination runs from our vacations around the country and around the world and our world is filled with positive, encouraging words and lots of accountability. No one in this group will let anyone else in the group fail, and everyone has run with everyone else at some point, regardless of their differences in pace.